‘Baby talk’ speeds up infants’ language skills

Research shows that words such as ‘choo-choo’ or ‘mummy’ help children develop their vocabulary

INFANTS whose parents speak to them using “baby talk” learn to speak more quickly, a study has found.

Words such as “choo-choo”, “tummy” or “mummy” help babies build their vocabulary faster than with adult language alone. Research by the University of Edinburgh found that not only were words with repetitive syllables or those ending with a “y” easier for babies to pick up, but using them accelerated language acquisition, including learning complicated words.

The results challenge the advice given in some parenting manuals, which frown on cooing at children and recommend addressing infants using adult words alone.

Linguists recorded samples of speech spoken to 47 infants aged from nine months learning English. They then analysed it for features that characterised baby talk, going on to assess the infants’ language development by measuring the size of their vocabulary at nine, 15 and 21 months.

As well as analysing so-called diminutives ending in “y” and reduplication – which contains repeated syllables – they checked for onomatopoeic words, such as woof and splash. They found that infants who heard a higher proportion of diminutive words and words with repeated syllables developed their language more quickly between nine and 21 months. However, they did not find this effect on vocabulary growth for onomatopoeic baby talk words, also known as parentese.

“The observed effects are particularly remarkable given that the proportions of words identified as having diminutive or reduplicated structures were not overwhelmingly large – typically not more than five per cent – and they highlight the potential impact a small section of the linguistic input can have on early language development,” the authors wrote.

“Even though words such as ‘choochoo’ and ‘bunny’ appear superfluous, they may play an important role in bootstrapping the development of the lexicon as a whole.”

The researchers believe that the continuity afforded by using words that end in “y”, as well as those with repetitive syllables, gives the developing mind something to recognise, which then acts as a building platform.

Published in Cognition Science, the study follows research that found that infants whose parents talk to them at a higher pitch but with elongated vowels had learnt nearly three times more words by the age of two compared with infants whose parents do not. The more parents exaggerated vowels – such as “How are youuuu?” – the better one-year-olds babbled, which is a forerunner of word production.

Past research has also shown that baby talk is most effective when a parent speaks to a child individually, without other adults or children around.

The NHS recommends that, during the first six months, parents hold babies close and look at them while talking, as well as singing. Between six and 12 months parents are advised to name and point out things.